Saw some sweet Allison ‘s for sale. Looked like Bose 901’s?

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Dabutcher
Dabutcher Posts: 2,633
edited July 2018 in Vintage Speakers
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Antique store was asking 600 with chrome Bose stands. Peace. Dehid7j0g9psj.jpeg
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 35,513
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    Nothing like Bose 901s :) although, in fairness to both Dr. Bose and Mr. Allison, both loudspeakers were designed to work their best in real-world environments (i.e., in real rooms in real dwellings).

    The Allison Four was the - heh - fourth model down the line of the original Allisons, and was/is a pretty darned good 'bookshelf' loudspeaker.

    I like the Allisons a lot. Roy Allison was, of course, an AR alum, and lived a good long life (he died last year, or maybe 2016, too lazy to double check, sorry) and had several companies of his own when it was all said and done. Allison Acoustics (from which the Four derives) was his first post-AR venture (AFAIK).

    More Allison info at www.classicspeakerpages.net (and/or its forums).

    http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/library/allison/

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    I'd opine that if one likes the early "Monitor Series" Polks, one'll love the Allisons. I certainly do. :)

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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 35,513
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    There was a time (late 1960s/early 1970s) that it seemed like everybody -- well, at least everybody in New England :) -- was building a loudspeaker that was at least evocative of the 901. At least in some respects (e.g., sometimes bass-ackwards relative to the 901 ethos, and rarely if ever with FR drivers, other than the 901 itself). :|

    To wit:

    KLH [28]

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    (image from www.classicspeakerpages.net)


    AR [LST]

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    (image from https://cmtechsupport.com/ar-lst/)


    EPI (Epicure) [M601/M602]

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    (images from www.humanspeakers.com and http://www.audiocircuit.com/Home-Audio/EPI/602 [respectively])

    It's like all of these guys worked for one another at one time or another ;)

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  • westmassguy
    westmassguy Posts: 6,850
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    I'll still take my Series II Continentals
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 35,513
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    those are elegant :)

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  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,861
    edited July 2018
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    The Allison Fours were some of my favorite bookshelf speakers in the early '80s. The only thing to watch for is the plastic grills will be so brittle by now that even removing them carefully may destroy them and they are not available anywhere. The same issue ran throughout the whole line. The Allison Model 1s were great too, but required a setup much like the SDA line with hard surfaces nearby causing lots of reflections with the triangle shape.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 35,513
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    re: the grilles. Yup.
    There are reports of "reinforcing" the oh-so-brittle grilles (which, I think, are made of ABS plastic), if one is fortunate enough to be able to remove one's grilles intact.

    Here's one:
    http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/method-for-preserving-allison-plastic-grilles.262849/
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  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,164
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    mhardy6647 wrote: »


    AR [LST]

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    (image from https://cmtechsupport.com/ar-lst/)




    I had a pair of those AR/LST’s. Truly great speakers. Had them paired with S.A.E. Mark amp and preamp. One of my big regrets is that I traded them in during about 1981. Now unobtanium.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 35,513
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    Yes, they (the AR-LSTs) were something, indeed. Notoriously hard to drive/picky of amplification, if memory serves.

    Interestingly, Mark Levinson resurrected them after a fashion -- and, I believe, rather briefly (?) -- under the aegis of his post ML company, Cello.

    http://www.celloseattle.com/ctdocs/prodserve/speakers/proamati.html

    As an aside, and @dromunds probably knows this, there were two bargain versions :p of the AR-LST: to wit, the AR-LST2 and the AR-MST. The latter, with all cone drivers, is of interest to me because -- well -- as it happens, I have a torn-down pair of them sittin' in the basement. Another project for someday :)

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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 35,513
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    OK, I am being all OCD now.

    for posterity:

    AR-LST

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    AR-LST2

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    AR-MST

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    Now, in fairness, these loudspeakers are more "anti Bose 901" than are they "Bose 901 related" :) They are more about "dispersing direct sound", methinks, than "direct/reflected sound. But, still, they look kinda 901-sy.

    :)

    sources:
    http://www.vintage-speaker-review.com/2012/07/acoustic-research-lst-and-lst-2-ar-lst.html
    http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?/topic/8963-ar-mst/
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  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,164
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    Yes, I’ve heard the AR-LST2’s and in the immortal words of Lloyd Bentsen, “Sir, you are no LST”. Never heard the MST. Interesting info about Levinson’s speakers didn’t know about them. Below is the invoice from 1983 when I traded in my LST’s. I suppose it’s time to move on now. Lol. They were truly remarkable in the proper set-up.

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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 35,513
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    I am sure I've mentioned this before :p but my ugly-but-fully-functional pair of dump-find AR-3s gave up their drivers to a Cello Amati restoration project :) I am quite proud of that, as you can tell.

    I've never seen nor heard the LST2, but I don't doubt your assessment. I am curious about the MST, mostly because those AR cone tweeters were really not bad. Safe to assume the MST's not in anything like the same league as the LST, tho'. :|
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  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,164
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    My presumption would be the MST's would very significantly best the LST2's. I really like some of those vintage speakers. The original Large Advent is another of my faves. There was a real passion, they lived their designs.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 35,513
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    I liked Mr. Polk's Monitor Series Model 7 rather better than the OLA, which is probably why I (still) squander so much time here rather than, say, www.classicspeakerpages.net ;)

    That said, I heard a pair of OLAs that had been refreshed by simply replacing its XO capacitors. No more, no less. The new capacitors, if memory serves, weren't particularly boutique (I think they may have been the "Dayton brand - Bennic - polypropylene caps sold by PE) -- but they resulted in a phenomenal improvement in the smoothness & transparency of the OLA sound compared to what I remember.

    There's a pair of Utility Advents in the basement that I really need to refoam & "recap" some day. Imagine that. :|
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  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,164
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    I would say the Monitor 7's also fit into my "real passion, they lived their designs" category. I very much enjoy them also.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 35,513
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    I plan to bequeath the pair of 7As here to the next generation of Hardys when I hit the dusty trail ;)
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 27,766
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    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    I plan to bequeath the pair of 7As here to the next generation of Hardys when I hit the dusty trail ;)

    Don't you live on a dusty trail??
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 35,513
    edited July 2018
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    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    I plan to bequeath the pair of 7As here to the next generation of Hardys when I hit the dusty trail ;)

    Don't you live on a dusty trail??

    touché

    :)

    OK... howzabout when I have shuffled off this mortal coil?*


    :p

    _________________
    * https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/319800.html
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  • Jimbo18
    Jimbo18 Posts: 2,351
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    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    I plan to bequeath the pair of 7As here to the next generation of Hardys when I hit the dusty trail ;)

    Don't you live on a dusty trail??

    touché

    :)

    OK... howzabout when I have shuffled off this mortal coil?*


    :p

    _________________
    * https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/319800.html

    You have coils? Lots of people are going to memory foam.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 35,513
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    Jimbo18 wrote: »
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    I plan to bequeath the pair of 7As here to the next generation of Hardys when I hit the dusty trail ;)

    Don't you live on a dusty trail??

    touché

    :)

    OK... howzabout when I have shuffled off this mortal coil?*


    :p

    _________________
    * https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/319800.html

    You have coils? Lots of people are going to memory foam.

    Too bad Vanilla doesn't let us give fractional likes.

    ;)
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 35,513
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    -- by the way, I have the distinct feeling that I've managed to chase the OP (@Dabutcher) away from his own thread entirely!

    :(
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 27,766
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    Guess that's one way to break the rules...
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